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- Aug 28, 2011
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This stems from the reaction of so many BYers to the death of Pat Conroy. And yes, he was one of my favorites, too. Since we have a quiet period of a couple of days, it might be fun to see what writers BYers like to read.
So I'll start, and hope that others join in:
Neal Stephenson. To judge by the length of his books, you'd think he was paid by the word. Broke on the scene with "Snow Crash," described as one of the first cyberpunk novels, but I like his later stuff more. If you're interested in math and crypto, read "Cryptonomicon," For history and history of science, his Baroque Trilogy is wonderful. And for pure science fiction, "Anathem" is one of my favorites.
John Scalzi. This is a science fiction writer with a sense of humor. I have read books by lots of people described as the next Heinlein, but I think this guy is the real deal, minus the pomposity and political posturing that infested Heinlein's later works. Scalzi's writing is just a pleasure to read.
John Irving. Can you be from New England and not read John Irving? Don't think so. "The World According to Garp" is his big book, but I loved "A Prayer for Owen Meany," and was fascinated with "A Widow for A Year."
John Lescroart -- author of San Francisco-based cops and lawyers stories. His stories are fun reads all the time.
Plenty of others, but this'll kick-start the process.
So I'll start, and hope that others join in:
Neal Stephenson. To judge by the length of his books, you'd think he was paid by the word. Broke on the scene with "Snow Crash," described as one of the first cyberpunk novels, but I like his later stuff more. If you're interested in math and crypto, read "Cryptonomicon," For history and history of science, his Baroque Trilogy is wonderful. And for pure science fiction, "Anathem" is one of my favorites.
John Scalzi. This is a science fiction writer with a sense of humor. I have read books by lots of people described as the next Heinlein, but I think this guy is the real deal, minus the pomposity and political posturing that infested Heinlein's later works. Scalzi's writing is just a pleasure to read.
John Irving. Can you be from New England and not read John Irving? Don't think so. "The World According to Garp" is his big book, but I loved "A Prayer for Owen Meany," and was fascinated with "A Widow for A Year."
John Lescroart -- author of San Francisco-based cops and lawyers stories. His stories are fun reads all the time.
Plenty of others, but this'll kick-start the process.